London's Metropolitan Police have warned that anyone attending a demonstration in support of Palestine Action near the US Embassy on Saturday, 31 October, will face arrest. The force said it was preparing a robust policing operation for the planned gathering, with officers to be deployed in the area around the embassy.
The warning followed an announcement by activist group Defend Our Juries that it planned a mass show of support for Palestine Action. In a statement issued ahead of the event, police made clear that their operation would cover both people taking part in the demonstration and those involved in making it happen.
The force said expressing support for Palestine Action constitutes an offence under the Terrorism Act because the organisation was proscribed in June 2025. According to the police statement, the Court of Appeal upheld that decision in June 2026. Police cited that prohibition as the legal basis for their warning to prospective participants.
Commander Adam Slonecki, who is overseeing the operation, said those planning to attend knew that supporting a proscribed organisation was unlawful. He characterised the proposed gathering as an event at which participants intended to commit a crime by demonstrating their support for the group.
Slonecki also warned that officers would look beyond people displaying placards. He said anyone police considered to have a significant role in organising the event, directing other participants or supplying logistical assistance would very likely be committing an offence and could face enforcement action. His comments extended the warning to those helping coordinate or facilitate the gathering.
The commander said the operation was not intended to stop people expressing their opinions. He presented the planned police response as action against conduct that involved criminality, drawing a distinction between the expression of views and support that police said would breach the law governing proscribed organisations.
The Metropolitan Police repeated the arrest warning in a social media post on Friday, 30 October, identifying Saturday's demonstration near the US Embassy and restating its position on support for Palestine Action. That message again linked the planned enforcement operation to the group's proscription and the subsequent Court of Appeal decision.
